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King Leonidas led three hundred Spartans to delay a massive Persian invasion force in 480 BCE. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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Spartan troops staged a heroic stand at Thermopylae

King Leonidas led three hundred Spartans to delay a massive Persian invasion force in 480 BCE

In 480 BCE, King Leonidas I of Sparta held a narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae with three hundred elite Spartans and several thousand Greek allies against Xerxes' Persian army. Though ultimately betrayed and overrun, their stubborn defense bought vital time for Greek city-states to organize naval victory at Salamis.

Where this comes from

Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Tags: sparta, greece, warfare

Spartan troops staged a heroic stand at Thermopylae: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: King Leonidas led three hundred Spartans to delay a massive Persian invasion force in 480 BCE. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?: Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.